DeLeone Vows To Fix UConn's Offense

STORRS — — UConn offensive coordinator George DeLeone doesn't mind taking the time to explain what's going on with the offense, which is good because an explanation is needed given its struggles.

Yes, the Huskies are 2-1, but in terms of total offensive yards, they did not improve from Week 2 against N.C. State (239) to Week 3 (223). They also regressed in the passing game, going from 204 total yards against the Wolfpack to 68 against Maryland last week.

Quarterback Chandler Whitmer didn't throw an interception for the first time (although he fumbled). That's important. And sophomore running back Lyle McCombs turned in his best effort of the season with 94 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown.

Still, overall, the offense is lacking consistency, with none in the running game, none in the passing game. The Huskies' special teams contributed two scores, but they could do a lot more.

When does it all get fixed? When do the yards and points start piling up? The Huskies hope to fix it by Saturday, when they play at Western Michigan.

"It's going to get to that point," DeLeone said. "We need to have 11 guys functioning, play after play for a greater percentage of the game than we're doing right now. We have shot ourselves in the foot too many times.

"Now that's a reflection on me. I've got to do a better job coaching them. We have to do a better job of coaching them. It's also a reflection of they have to do a better job.

"The thing that upset me the most about the game the other day offensively is we had four drives of three-and-out; four drives in a tough stretch of the third quarter, we were three-and-out. As good as our defense is, no defense can survive that, so we've got work to do. I think we made some progress but we are by no means a finished product. We have to operate on all eight cylinders. We can't have a flat tire, we can't have a burned-out clutch. We can't have any of those things. ... We're optimistic. It's week to week. So we've got to go to work this week. One-game seasons now. "

Smallwood: Large Aspirations

UConn sophomore linebacker Yawin Smallwood has a lofty personal goal.

"My goal is to be one of the best, top linebackers in the country," Smallwood said. "That's something I've been preparing myself for. Each week I feel like I've been getting better and better, and I'm just trying to make sure this defense gets better and this team gets better."

"I think I need to work on not dropping interceptions." He had an opportunity against Maryland but couldn't come up with the pick.

Smallwood (6 feet 3, 235 pounds) had 14 tackles in consecutive weeks and is tied for 10th in the country with 11.3 a game and tied for 15th nationally in solo tackles (6.67 a game). He is tied for No.1 in the nation in tackles for loss with three a game. Smallwood was named the FWAA/Bronko Nagurski defensive player of the week, the Chuck Bednarik defensive player of the week from the Maxwell Football Club and ECAC defensive player of the week Tuesday. He was named Big East defensive player of the week Monday.

Don't Worry About McCombs

Running backs coach Clayton White said that there is nothing wrong with sophomore Lyle McCombs and that he will be fine. McCombs, an 1,152-yard rusher a year ago, is struggling to find room, averaging just under 79 yards.

"Not just Lyle, but the production in the run game hasn't been there and we're definitely working on that every single day, every single meeting, every single practice," White said. "There's always thoughts to what can other guys do. We feel like Lyle is one of our best players, so we want to make sure that we're giving him the opportunity. He's not tired. He got banged up against N.C. State a little bit, he came out a couple plays, but for the most part, he's not tired. He's healthy. Ride him as long as you can, but there's always thoughts about other guys."

Whitmer Evolving

Whitmer said he wasn't gun-shy Saturday after throwing five interceptions in the first two games. Whitmer was 10-for-19 for 68 yards and seemingly had some open targets but didn't fire at them.

"I was definitely focused on protecting the ball and not forcing too many throws downfield," he said. "Obviously, no interceptions, that's an improvement over the first two games, but I had the one fumble. I tried my best to protect the ball but the guy made a good play on it. I think it was a solid performance. The stats aren't what people want to see from a quarterback, but the W is the biggest stat for me. I wasn't gun-shy. I couldn't let what happened in the previous game affect me."

Waiting On Knappe

Coach Paul Pasqualoni said that Andreas Knappe, the 6-9 freshman defensive lineman from Denmark, hasn't shown he's ready to get in the game on defense yet. He does contribute on special teams. Pasqualoni also said that junior defensive tackle Shamar Stephen might not be listed on the two deep but he will play plenty. Stephen returned last week from a preseason knee injury.